To think HV is talking rubbish and babies can't be overweight?

[IdiotSandwich05]

Hi all.

DS is two months old and, according to his HV, overweight. He weighed 6lbs 12oz at birth (born at 37 weeks), at six weeks was 12lbs 10oz, and when I weighed him at baby clinic yesterday was exactly 15lbs. So yes a chunky monkey but I was pleased with this! He is EBF.

The HV insinuated I was overfeeding him and shouldn't 'feed him every time he cries'. I don't! She also mentioned him being at increased risk of obesity ect. Basically making it seem like I'm doing something wrong. This is my first time BFing and I thought it was going well! Neither me nor DP nor our daughter are overweight.

DS is also 63cm long which is on the 99th percentile, so to me that means he's big but in proportion rather than overweight. He is healthy, happy, and meeting all his millstones. He goes 2-3 hours between feeds in the day and 3-4 hours at night, so it isn't like he's feeding constantly. And even if he was, I thought you couldn't overfeed a BF baby?

Am I BU to think HV is talking out of her rear? He's not even solids yet, so how

Are you educating him yourself?

I’m a neonatal midwife and in my opinion its not possible for babies to overeat. Particularly not EBF babies - your health visitor is talking out her rear, which is quite common unfortunately.

I kind of feel like maybe I did overfeed DD1 who was EBF. I would switch breasts quite quickly and I think she got a lot of foremilk and not so much hind milk. So she fed for a long time and regularly and went from 50th to 90th percentile quite quickly, although also above average length. With DD2 I left her on one breast for a whole feed then switched for the next feed and felt like she stayed fuller for longer. She has consistently been on the 10th to 15th percentile but is also much shorter.
So basically my anecdata story counts for shit 😆 carry on feeding your beautiful baby!

@JaninaDuszejko No, he's my second. Funnily enough his sister was tiny and struggled to gain weight!

Thank you all, I do think I'll just stop having him weighed for now. I'm not concerned at all.

SIL is a HV and she had said herself that she knows very little about breastfeeding. They don't get any training around it.

I've found most health visitors give their personal opinion rather than any sort of actual facts.

I had a weaning visit from one who, when I advised my intention to start finger foods at six months, was quite horrified and said baby led weaning is just the name of a book and not a real thing. And the only way to wean is by freezing single pureed veg in ice cube trays and giving one at a time. Yeah, I didn't do that....

A HV tried this on us, with our 91st percentile for length son. Absolute bullshit, they all go nicely toddler shaped when they start standing and using those muscles.

He sounds like a very bonnie baby, congratulations you are doing an amazing job. X

Absolute nonsense and dangerous advice. I’d make a complaint as this kind of stuff can cause all kinds of problems. I had the opposite with DC three - told that it’s not possible to eat enough to EBF 6 month old baby. I ignored and didn’t bother going back but wish I’d complained.

@margegunderson I was induced due to reduced movements and faltering growth (he'd consistently been on the 90th percentile on scans until 36 weeks when he dropped to the 50th). I was having growth scans because his sister was growth restricted. He looked quite gaunt at birth because he was very long but didn't weigh much in comparison, so I agree that I think he was always meant to be big and is catching up now!

I have yet to come across a HV that spoke any sense.

I don't agree with this. I got told my son was overweight and he emotionally eats (...?) Based on nothing other than he was 99 centile for both weight and height at 11 months, but was when he was born. I got told to feed him less, I ignored. As predicted as soon as he's started walking hes leaned out.

Saying it to someone EBF and a baby so young is just complete nonsense to me.

HVs seem to vary greatly in terms of quality of training and general ability. I've met some very helpful and knowledgeable ones but also some who gave me false or at least misleading or oversimplified information.

At the 1 year check for DC1 for example the HV simply added up points on a checklist, made no mention of the fact that babies vary a lot in reaching milrstones and said she was very concerned about her inability to walk yet. A simple look on the NHS website, (or indeed a browse on any parenting forum) would be enough to know that many perfectly healthy babies walk much later. If I had been a less confident parent I'd probably have wasted GP time for absolutely no reason.

While I don't completely ignore any medical advice I generally do some reading using reputable sources or sometimes relevant research papers. Cochrane reviews are very useful if you ever want to go into A LOT of detail on a topic.

Health visitors should know what they’re talking about.

Sadly many of them are massively ill informed.

I am reduced to tears of laughter when Timehop rows up a certain period in my DS2's life because he's just circular. Just this massive massive round baby with flipper feet, great paws for hands and basically no knees just creases. He was EBF and fortunately my HV team are exceptionally well trained in breastfeeding and infant nutrition in general (I know because I went on to work for them and had the training myself).

Your baby is fine. Ideally they'd be finding their line on the centile chart and following that line but it really doesn't matter whereabouts that line is (50th, 70th or 99th as my baby was) as long as they're consistently following it. And no, you can't overfeed an EBF baby

Exactly the same happened to me. My daughter was three weeks early (induced) and was teeny. Once born she saw my boobs and went for it. She was absolutely enormous, not even particularly long just and absolute rolly polly barrel.
The HV kindly told me that "you can't overfeed an EBM baby but look at her."
Everyone said she would lose it when she crawled. She didn't (plus was v late to crawl and roll because she had so much bulk to heave up!)
However once she started running it dropped off and now at 4 she looks like any other child that never stops moving!
So ignore her totally!

Unless the OP is blending up Big Macs and giving them to her two month old, she can’t be over feeding him.

Very similar to one of my EBF babies op! He was a chunk. He is a very, very slender 6 year old now. As soon as babies get more mobile, and once they start on solids, they usually slim down. Trust your instincts.

My two were before and were so chubby, it usually preceeded a massive growth spurt. They are now absolute bean poles. Ignore the health visitor. They generally have a script they have to follow and are not allowed to apply common sense.

No, an EBF can't be overweight. Maybe the health visitor thinks you have a skimmed milk button on your breast 😆

I'm not a medical professional but I am EBF my baby and every midwife/HV I have spoken to said that you cannot overfeed a breastfed baby and to feed on demand. So I would say they are talking nonsense.

God what the heck is she on about! Sounds like him and you are doing great - congratulations on your baby! 😊

My ds was described as 'portly' by the gp at his 6 week checkup, but she smiled as she said it and added that he was a healthy bf baby. He was 9lbs 9.5oz at birth after all!
He was a very long baby and is now a very slim long legged 13 yo.
I'm sure your ds is in proportion and just going to be a tall boy.

@Yogagrandmum 8 week olds can't be fat. Do be quiet.

DS was EBF and put on a lot of weight in the first 12 weeks. My HV was encouraging and only talked about it in a positive way. He is now very tall and stick thin.